BROOKS VS. THE WORLD

Wait . . . did Brooks Koepka just get motivated for a non-major?

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By Brian Wacker

Brooks Koepka. Photo by Golffile

Brooks Koepka always seems to be searching for some chip-on-the-shoulder motivation — though he apparently doesn’t even consider four-time major winner and reigning Player of the Year Rory McIlroy, or anyone else, a rival these days. This week, it sounds like he found some through the odds makers.

Koepka is the defending champion at this week’s CJ Cup. He’s also coming off a PGA Tour season in which he won three times, including at the PGA Championship, and finished in the top four of all four majors.

Yet the 29-year-old isn’t the favourite for this week’s event at Nine Bridges Golf Club in Korea. Instead, Justin Thomas, who won the tournament in 2018 and is coming off a season in which he won once, is the favourite at the betting window.

Brooks Koepka. Photo by Golffile

“It's all about who puts money on whom,” Koepka said when asked about it. “Obviously that's how they find the odds. More people are betting on Justin, perfect.”

Sounds like he just found a way to get motivated for a “regular” PGA Tour event. Koepka didn’t stop there, though.

“My caddie showed me a funny little stat yesterday; I've got better odds to win Augusta next year than I do here,” he said.

Though we’re not sure what odds Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, was looking at, various betting lines do list the four-time major champ as a 9-to-1 favourite at this week’s CJ Cup — the same odds for Koepka to win next year’s Masters.

“I found that quite interesting,” Koepka said.

We did, too, Brooks, we did, too.

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